I am thinking about getting a new or slightly used full size truck, I currently drive a Tacoma with an ever growing family. My son is due any day now and we already have the little girl, extra room would be nice.
Just looking for opinions on full size Chevrolet, GMC, or Ford F-150 or 250. I don't really want to own a Dodge, I am just not impressed by them. My favorite so far is the F-250 with a diesel V-8. You can program them for economy or performance, they ride pretty good, nice looking, and have good room.
The new ride needs to have 4wd, 4 door, i would prefer leather, but am not hung up on the bells and whistles. I am looking for something that would last a long time. And I am scared of the new gasoline regulations with the E-15 coming, diesel might be the safer option.
Just looking for opinions of current owners or maybe mechanics that know the vehicles intimately.
Thanks for the help...
GN
I wouldn't worry about E-15 as long as you get a flex-fuel vehicle.
I have an 07 F250 Lariat with the FX4 package and I love it.
That being said, if you're considering a diesel from the 2004-2008 vintage you're going to have to pump at least an additional $,1500-2000 into the truck in the form of an EGR delete kit, high pressure oil cooler replacement, stc fitting, a chip to shut off the code the truck will throw once the EGR has been deleted, and you'll likely want to put in an engine coolant filtration system since the gold ford coolant has a tendency to leave silicates/sandy granules in the system.
Overall, they are great trucks but the 6.0 Ford diesels can be riddled with problems mostly doe to EGR cooler failure. The failure of that component can lead to blown head gaskets, or total catastrophic engine failure. Consequently, you will certainly want to make the necessary and moderately costly upgrades to circumnavigate such issues.
My commuter car is a Toyota Echo. I love it and it chases turkeys when I'm hunting close to home.
That being said, there is NO substitue for a big truck.
I would stay Toyota, but if you must change....go FORD. Im not a big Chevy fan, but I do know some fellas that have had some good ones. Dodges suck.
I really like the new 2011 Ford F150 with the EcoBoost engine. I don't have any first hand knowledge from owners on real life fuel economy. I love a 4 door and the F150 has the most room. Also, can get a standard 6.5 foot bed that you cannot with the other 1/2 ton trucks.
If you want a diesel then Cummins is the way to go in my book. Long history of reliability.
I like the looks of the Dodge the best, but my Dakota has had some issues. Like the covering of the steering wheel coming off. It is a 2009. The catalytic converter has had to be replaced and the one heated seat doesn't always work.
I also do not like Chevys not at all, but my best friend loves them. I think you will get a good truck no matter what. My thoughts are that if you don't need the diesel to pull with, then I don't see the added benefit of a small mileage/longevity gain vs the cost over the life.
Quote from: savduck on July 19, 2011, 07:02:17 PM
I would stay Toyota, but if you must change....go FORD. Im not a big Chevy fan, but I do know some fellas that have had some good ones. Dodges suck.
x2
Quote from: sugarray on July 19, 2011, 07:14:56 PM
I really like the new 2011 Ford F150 with the EcoBoost engine. I don't have any first hand knowledge from owners on real life fuel economy. I love a 4 door and the F150 has the most room. Also, can get a standard 6.5 foot bed that you cannot with the other 1/2 ton trucks.
If you want a diesel then Cummins is the way to go in my book. Long history of reliability.
I like the looks of the Dodge the best, but my Dakota has had some issues. Like the covering of the steering wheel coming off. It is a 2009. The catalytic converter has had to be replaced and the one heated seat doesn't always work.
I also do not like Chevys not at all, but my best friend loves them. I think you will get a good truck no matter what. My thoughts are that if you don't need the diesel to pull with, then I don't see the added benefit of a small mileage/longevity gain vs the cost over the life.
I got a Dodge story for you when you want to hear it.
Quote from: sugarray on July 19, 2011, 07:14:56 PM
I really like the new 2011 Ford F150 with the EcoBoost engine. I don't have any first hand knowledge from owners on real life fuel economy. I love a 4 door and the F150 has the most room. Also, can get a standard 6.5 foot bed that you cannot with the other 1/2 ton trucks.
If you want a diesel then Cummins is the way to go in my book. Long history of reliability.
I like the looks of the Dodge the best, but my Dakota has had some issues. Like the covering of the steering wheel coming off. It is a 2009. The catalytic converter has had to be replaced and the one heated seat doesn't always work.
I also do not like Chevys not at all, but my best friend loves them. I think you will get a good truck no matter what. My thoughts are that if you don't need the diesel to pull with, then I don't see the added benefit of a small mileage/longevity gain vs the cost over the life.
:agreed: 100 % :icon_thumright:
I've been looking too. Not serious about buying yet but just looking at full size trucks. I like Chevy and Ford and have driven both. My last big truck was a 2500 dodge, but if that truck don't work for you, you wont be able to keep it filled up. That Cummins was sweet, and I did a lot of work to that truck, but the truck itself nickle and dimmed me to death. I wont own another diesel unless I'm going to be pulling something heavier than a horse trailer on a regular basis and for any amount of distance.
My last 2 trucks have been Dodge 4x4's I bought a 1997 new and drove it till 2003, W
198,000 miles later the only thing other than genral maintenance I had to do was get new rotars because of warping,I bought a 2004 Quad cab and the only trouble I've had from it is the CD player quit working, I can tell you a story about 3 new Chevys.
I am on my 4th Chevy Silverado Z71 and haven't had any issues with any of them.
I've am on my 3rd F -250 diesel since 1999 and none of them rode good. None turned very well and they all stink on mpg. I had a Chip (Bullydog) installed in the first one and it help with mpg, acceleration and towing. I have only be stranded once and it was in the second one I had, blew out the rear end. I do drive thru standing water (most of the time saltwater), dirt roads, and limestone on a regular basis. I also put close to 1000 miles a week on my truck. The last two truck have been company trucks, so I can't complain, but I would love to get into a 4 door F-150.
Also they perform terrible off road and are much more prone to front end issue's then the 1/2 ton's. It is sometimes hard to find a parking spot with the 250's, and going thru a drive thru is a problem from time to time.
I drive a new Tundra and wouldn't change a thing. Awesome truck (with the exception of gas mileage :o )
I'm on my 2nd Tundra... didn't want to chance it on the other brands... so far I've had zero problems.
Yeah, I figured I would get a mixture of opinions.
I will be towing some things but for the most part it will be boats, a tractor, and maybe some four wheelers. From what it sounds like the recommendation would be either a F-150 or a Tundra.
I did not realize the extra maintenance that was required with a 250 diesel, just have not owned one to know about it.
I have had good luck with my Chevrolet Silverado. The 5.3 is a proven strong and long lasting motor. Better mileage than Ford or Dodge in the past as well.
I have had good luck with my 4wd GMC, but it is a gas hog. I'm running stock size 275/55/20s and only getting 15MPG with the 5300 327ci.
I know two guys with 2010 F-150 4wds and the same size tires that get 18-19mpg.
I've also talked to several tundra owners and all have said terrible mileage.
I wouldn't get the Diesel. 40 cents more per gallon around here and everyone I know that runs F250 diesels gets horrible mileage. I went the diesel route once in '05 and it wasn't worth the extra fuel expense as I rarely haul more than atvs, a boat, or a small kubota.
I hear the new ecoboost F150 engines are even better.
Reloader
Quote from: honker22 on July 20, 2011, 01:31:05 PM
I'm on my 2nd Tundra... didn't want to chance it on the other brands... so far I've had zero problems.
X2
189K on the first, 115K on this one so far. no issues.
My tundra averaged 20 miles to the gallon up until 60K miles and then over night dipped to 15. I think it is the programing, just havent messed with it, but that is also around the same time they put the ethanol in the gas.
Well I am a guide fisherman part time and I can tell you that there is nothing good about ethanol mixed in fuel. It absorbs water, goes stale, does not mix correctly, burns hotter, etc... I cannot run ethanol fuel in my V-Max outboard at all. I have to search out and find a non-ethanol station to fuel up my boat and this is not an easy task. If they go to E-15 then no outboards will be able to run it.
This is one of the reasons that I am more interested in a diesel purchase. Diesel engines will run off of cooking oil, diesel is rather unrefined and you can hopefully put 50,000 hours on a truck and maybe 300,000 miles.
I just don't see this happening with the new ethanol based fuels in a combustion engine, just my opinion though.
I prefer Ford over Chevy when it comes to trucks. I have owned both. Had way better luck with the Ford. But I have seen some great long lasting Chevy trucks out there. I worked with a girl that had a 91 Chevy 4x4 and it still going. She finally had to replace the transmission after 300,000 miles. You can't beat that.
i've got a 2002 chevy z71 4wd i have had since 2005. it had 72000 miles on it when i got it and the only thing i have had to do is put a fuel pimp on it two yrs ago .
it has 139000 on it now i am slowly replacing wear parts like wheel bearings and brake rotors.but never turned a bolt on the engine i put it through a lot of crap still looks and runs great
the only problem i have with it is id love to have four full doors good luck with your purchase whatever it is
I have also started looking for a truck. I have decided I want to get a diesel. I have made this decision because on average a diesel will last longer. The higher coat for fuel does not bother me because I am already burning high test in my car so the cost is basically the same. I have it down to a ford with the 7.3, a chevy with the 6.6, or a dodge with the 6.7. All three are great motors that will last but all three have their horror stories as well, all vehicles do. With a turbo back exhaust and the proper tune all three trucks are capable of 20 mpg. This will cost about $1,500 to do if not more and will void any warranty. As others have said there are higher maintenance costs with a diesel. I have always like vehicles with extra power and a diesel will provide you all the power you will ever need. The best thing for you to do is get your butt in some vehicles and take them for a drive.
i have an 05 tacoma double cab 4x4 with the 6' bed. bought it new and it now has 139.000 miles and counting, it has been over moutains through swamps and evreywhere in between, car seats fit easily in the back as do guns and bows, it hauls my boat fine and the 4.0 v6 gets around 21mpg now, when i got it new it got 23-24, but that has alot with how you drive one to, i also think the ehtanol gas hurts also. never had a problem with my truck, i change the oil every 3.000 miles and use full synthetic, changed the plugs once at 100,000. yota's are hard to beat, they also have a very high resale value.
i was at a produce stand about a month ago and guy pulled in with a truck almost indenticle to mine exept his was a lighter shad of red, he had over 500,000 miles on his, i couldn't belive it and wanted to know how he afforded to drive that much, he said he was a traveling salesman and loved his yota.